From the beginning, Wang made it clear that age has given him a new perspective on comedy. He began with jokes about eating more antioxidants and losing his skill on the monkey bars, material that clearly resonated with the mostly older audience. Although he touched briefly on more juvenile topics like edible bras, most of his set relied on what I call “adulting” humor: jokes that lean heavily on the shared understanding that sometimes, being an adult can be a bit absurd. As a nineteen-year-old (and I suspect the youngest person at the Englert that night), I understand that I am probably not Sheng Wang’s intended audience. I did find a few of his deliveries to be a bit cringeworthy, but for the most part, his oddball humor struck a chord with me, even if I couldn’t relate to much of his material; I found myself keeled over in laughter more than a few times that night.

The rest of the theater enjoyed the performance as much, if not more, than I did; nearly every joke was met with uproarious laughter. Occasionally during the set, I would hear one woman sitting behind me whisper to her friend through giggles, “That’s so real!” Towards the end of the night, Wang remarked on the demographic of people that tend to come to his shows. He complimented the audience on being such laid-back, friendly people, and thanked them genuinely for their love and support. As someone who’d gotten to the show early that night, I was able to observe a little bit of that audience dynamic, and I think Wang is right on the money. Quite frankly, I can’t imagine anyone getting rowdy or irate at one of his performances; he exudes a cool energy that you just can’t help but be calmed by.

However, to me, Wang’s biggest asset is his creativity: he frames mundane events like jury duty as wacky adventures that the whole audience can enjoy. In one particularly well-received bit, he described his experience backpacking through a forest with one of his friends. As he relayed his journey to the campsite, he told us how, as a part of the backpacking experience, he had to abandon his car on the side of the highway and walk the remaining twenty-six miles to the campsite. Wang trotted across the stage, commenting on how absurd it felt to him to hike when he had a perfectly good car: “I’m a Subaru!”

Overall, Sheng Wang’s time at the Englert was well-spent. I thoroughly enjoyed his performance— as well that of his opener, Kevin Camia, who did a delightfully self-deprecating fifteen-minute set to get the audience warmed up. Both comedians delivered big laughs, but Wang’s inventiveness and whimsy were the highlight of the night for me. I’m looking forward to seeing what he does next.

Like he suggests, I think he’ll only be getting better from here.

The post Review: Sheng Wang Shines at the Englert appeared first on KRUI Radio.

“Maniac” is a ten episode mini-series out on Netflix. It comes with a pretty loaded team from Emma Stone and Jonah Hill to the director, Cary Joji Fukunaga who lead the first season of “True Detective”.

Despite this, I couldn’t say I left the series satisfied at all. Before going into those reasons I want to break the series down a bit.

“Maniac” takes place in a seemingly alternate present, based off stereotypical tropes of 80’s sci-fi movies. A world with AI’s that are are old bulky computers alongside cord telephones. The world is very capitalistic, it features a service

called, “Add Buddy” who comes to you and gives you a variety of jobs to choose from. They range from a fill in husband for widows to drug trials.

The story focuses in on Annie Landsberg (Stone) and Owen Milgrim (Hill), two people who have signed up and joined a drug trial for their own reasons. While Stone’s character fell flat, the same wasn’t true for Hill. Whenever I see Hill perform I can’t help but think funny man, after all I grew up laughing at his roles. Hearing he was playing a serious role I wasn’t quite sure if he’d be up for it.

I was wrong.                

Jonah Hill absolutely saved the show from falling completely on its back. He gave the show a great foundation to build off of. Both Owen and Annie were pretty basic characters and at times their motives were unclear and slightly unbelievable. Despite this, Hill displayed such an unconventional yet mesmerizing performance you couldn’t help but go along with whatever he did.

The show itself really tried to make you do that the whole time. On the surface the show seems to be completely serious, however it is not…at all. This is an issue though, you need to suspend your disbelief for a lot of events. Being a Sci-Fi show I already came in with little belief in the ‘norm’. That wasn’t necessarily the issue though.

Some moments were just badly written. For example, at a certain point a man goes blind for no reason. They say it is a psychotic break, but it just seemed like a cheap explanation.

I found similar moments throughout the whole series.

I don’t wait to paint such a bleak picture for Manic because at a lot of moments it really was enjoyable. It had a lot of really funny moments, I just couldn’t always get behind the serious ones.

Now a good point to say is that might be the exact point of the series. They might have tried to make a ridiculous show that is slightly making fun of old Sci-fi, 5th element-esque movies. If that was the point, they could have succeeded a lot more had the show focused in on that more.

However, considering the creator is Patrick Somerville I don’t think that’s the case.       

Overall, if it weren’t for Jonah Hill and his superb acting I don’t know if I would have even finished the series, let alone review it. This show is a must watch simply because of Hill. This breakout role for him is one of a long line, Jonah hill is not longer just the funny man. The amount of different roles he plays in this movie showcase his wide variety of skills as an actor.

“Maniac” a 7 out of 10 movie that relies on the acting of one man to keep it from falling into bad show territory.

The post Maniac: A Disassociated Look at Sci-Fi Movie Culture appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Chelsea Handler switched from E! to Netflix for her show “Chelsea.” Except, Handler took full advantage of the platform by adding her own political views that were too taboo for television. She also spiced it up with some adult language she was so infamous about being bleeped for on E! Network. In McHale’s case, there is nothing in the first four episodes that depart from his style on E!, except for adult language and adding another camera to the set. 

“If you ask me, there’s nothing more desperate than an old show resurfacing on a new network with almost the same exact format and the same old tired host,” he admits at the start of the first episode. 

“The Joel McHale Show” makes fun of the most ridiculous reality shows on television, especially those that are so obviously scripted. When “The Soup” was on cable for over ten years, it’s viewership was a staple for any reality show guru to catch up on the latest drama with a dash of McHale’s humor.

The show chooses clips from shows like E!’s “Hollywood Medium,” Oxygen’s “Snapped,” ABC’s “The Bachelor,” Bravo’s “Real Housewives,” among others. McHale seeks to reaffirm what we’re all thinking by putting the true meaning of “reality” into “reality show.”

“The McHale Show” features celebrity guests, such as Kristen Bell, Billy Eichner, Jason Priestley, Eric Bana, Eric McCormack, Seth Green, and more to come.

To add, the show features skits outside of the studio. A skit about “The Bachelor” plays on the recent “Bachelor in Paradise” sexual assault scandal. In the clip, producers hover around the actors not permitting any kind of touching, groping, or anything without verbal consent. The narrator jokes, “because you can’t spell ‘consensual’ without ‘sensual.’” 

Although this unique platform seeks to humiliate the characters of the reality shows, it actually functions as a symbiotic relationship. The more insane reality TV is, the more exposure these shows receive. The more harsh McHale is, the more reactions he receives from celebrities. In episode 3, McHale makes fun of Donna Farizan, who hosts her own show of NBC’s the “Today Show” on YouTube called “Donna-Dorable.” 

McHale jokes about how she can’t book guests on her show. In return, she gets Josh Dumel to send in a video of himself telling Joel McHale that he’d be delighted to appear on her show if he had the availability. McHale says, “Granted you can only book them for cell phone videos.” Realistically, McHale helped Farizan land an appearance on “The Today Show.” Publicity on a popular Netflix talk show is never a bad thing.

Initially, the old style of “The Soup” the show takes on didn’t hold any nostalgia, instead exasperation. But all in all, without implementing new strategies to recreate the talk show’s unique platform, this show proves that Joel McHale is the pioneer of talk show reality television and premise remains timeless.

“The Joel McHale Show” continues weekly with a new episode for 13 episodes on Netflix.

The post Netflix and Trill: All Hail Joel McHale appeared first on KRUI Radio.

John Mulaney is a comedian whose humor will entertain you throughout your life. His honest stories about his childhood, married life, and social anxieties will hit a cord with most. He has strong dry humor that will have you laughing when you first hear it and still laughing when you think about it days later.

Mulaney is a comedian who has a true gift for creating a strong universal image of situations and people we have all met. He observational humor is also a very be attribute to his comedy. His views on how insane the plot to 1985’s Back to the Future sounds insane from the outside looking in or childhood fears of quicksand being a bigger threat when growing up.

John Mulaney wrote on SNL for 6 seasons, stared in the short-lived Fox sitcom Mulaney, and currently voices animated characters in the Netflix show Big mouth. A show where they show the awkward horrors of going through puberty. A lot of people have enjoyed this raunchy animated comedy but I have yet to start it. The voice acting includes actors such as Nick Kroll, Maya Rudolph, Jordan Peele and Jenny Slate.

John Mulaney is also known for his two-man act called, Oh, Hello on Broadway. A show where Mulaney and friend, Nick Kroll, portray two late-middle age men who are from the upper Westside of Manahan. In this play, we see Gil Faizon (Kroll) and George St. Geegland (Mulaney) finally hit it big with a Broadway show.

This show is a fever dream of fourth wall breaking, theater troupes mocking, tuna sandwich hurricane. In this show, they break the fourth wall because of the plot. The premise is George has written a play about two very similar middle age men’s lives and while they act out the play George and Gil get into “real” arguments and cause their play to be derailed.

This show is so much fun because Mulaney and Kroll improvise a lot of the time during this show. So sometimes throughout the show, you see a very real reaction from the others actions. This makes it something truly funny and makes the show have a really unique feel.

Seeing this dysfunctional friendship between these two men is hysterical and I definitely recommend it to people looking for a great thing to watch. To watch Oh Hello on Broadway it is currently streaming on Netflix. Click Here for the Trailer.

John Mulaney also has 3 comedy albums which are all on Apple Music and Spotify. His albums are The Top Part, New In Town, and The Comeback Kid.

These shows are also streaming on Netflix. These albums were what I listened to a lot over the last 3 years. His bit has some great laughs and will always crack me up.

Truly one of my favorites from Mulaney’s list of bits is the “Salt and Pepper Dinner” off his 2009 album The Top Part. In this bit, he tells a story about how as a child, a friend and himself played Tom Jones’ What’s new Pussycat, 21 times at a local dinner and watched the customers lose their minds over the overpayment of the song.  Click Here to listen to this joke.

John Mulaney is a great new comedian who I feel more people should know. He has influenced my writing and comedy and is truly a great comedic figure of this current time. For more clips of his comedy please look to the links below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1sd4CRcaE0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uD-akXggZA

The post Ozzy’s Spotlight: John Mulaney appeared first on KRUI Radio.

James and Alyssa are two understandably cold human beings. James’ mother killed himself by drowning herself in her car in front of him. Alyssa’s mother remarried a rather arrogant man who wishes his step-daughter would disappear and isn’t shy about it. Her mother and step-father started a new family together.

James is played by Alex Lawther and Alyssa by Jessica Barden. The dark comedy is perfectly relatable for an American audience. Other shows like “The Office” and “Shameless” have been adapted across cultures, but this one shows no need to for a change in the cast to accommodate humor.

James wants to know what it’s like to kill someone. Alyssa wants to know what it’s like to be loved. Alyssa’s unmoving coldness and James’ lack of emotion requires an inner dialogue which serves as the perfect solution to understanding the main characters.

Although there is no language barrier involved in British and American television, occasionally slang and humor must be replaced for further popularity. In this case, James and Alyssa’s tragic fairytale captivated an American audience and many consider this show to be a favorite Netflix original.

The two meet as strangers in their high school cafeteria and continue on an unbelievable journey to reunite with loved ones, commit continuous crimes, hijack vehicles, and worry their families to a sick extent that makes the audience want to reach through the screen and shake them.

Somewhat annoying is the initial lack of emotion the viewer sees in James at the start of the series. He wants to know what it feels like to murder someone, so when Alyssa addresses James, his inner dialogue begins. Once the sympathy builds for each character, anxiety begins and the desire for the two to console each other takes control.

As the episodes progress, James’ and Alyssa’s inner dialogue seem to wither away symbolizing in a relationship how that primary facade peels back revealing the true personality of your significant other. As James feels he can be himself with Alyssa, his violent tendencies seem to decrease. He finds excuses to love. Well, he finds excuses not to hate. He wants to take care of Alyssa, and focus his efforts on repairing her.

At the beginning of the series, James knows exactly how to manipulate Alyssa into loving him. A sex addict desperate for love, Alyssa thinks she can force James into loving her, and he relents to anything she asks. His growing unwanted affection causes confusion, as he is more nervous and indecisive as most 16-year olds participating in “love” can be. Eventually, he becomes weak and defensive to her, and the entire world beyond Alyssa is obsolete.

This show is the perfect example of how spontaneity, as romantic and admirable a trait it is, can be very detrimental in the end. These two are extremely fragile, but decide to make life-changing decisions together. Neither of them had the courage to do these things alone. In a way, they are each other’s motivation and inspiration. When apart, all they can think about is the one person who thought the most of the other. Isn’t that a lesson in friendship we should all take away?

The post Netflix and Trill: The End of the F****ing World appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Letterman suffered scrutiny after it surfaced he had sexual relationships with his female staffers while married to his wife, Regina. Blackmailed for $2 million, Letterman confessed  to the allegations live on “The Late Show” and subsequently retired in 2009.  Unfit for cable, he turned to Netflix, which agreed to facilitate a new kind of talk show.

The show debuts Letterman’s shockingly long beard giving us a biblical, omniscient impression much different from his typical “working man” appearance. The audience is unaware of who each guest is at the start of the first episode. On an eerily vacant and dark stage, Letterman stands in front of two black chairs as he gives a small introduction, then casually brings out former president of the United States, Barack Obama.

This is the perfect platform for Obama to talk about his personal life that had been absent from his presidential image. He talks of current politics, his mother, absent father, and childhood so focused on the importance of education. Obama also admits that he grew somewhat envious of his wife Michelle’s more pleasurable role as First Lady. As he had to deliver formal speeches from the Oval Office, his wife participated in human interest campaigns with children and young women.

Revolutionizing U.S. presidential campaign tactics, Obama is the first to mobilize voters using an online presence. Twitter and Facebook were handy in coordinating rallies, grassroots efforts, as well as sharing the campaign platform. Obama pioneered a strategy that Trump himself employed to become his successor. “It seems like a handy tool that has turned against us,” Letterman says.

In this episode, Obama touches on the “fake news” phenomenon. “One of the biggest challenges we have to our democracy is the degree to which we don’t share a common baseline of facts,” he explains. “You are entitled to your own opinion, you are not entitled to your own facts,” Obama quotes former Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-NY.)

One of Obama’s inspirations is former Congressman John Lewis (D-GA) who helped organize the Selma to Montgomery March in 1965. Letterman visited the Edmund Pettus Bridge where the police rained down tear gas on Civil Rights protesters. Although peaceful, Lewis says that he truly believed he would die that day.

“We had been taught not to be a threat, but be determined and be orderly, peaceful and abide by the philosophy and discipline of non-violence.” Lewis tells Letterman that he believes the current administration “is a major setback to the hopes, dreams, and aspirations of a people…and a threat not only to our country but to the planet.”

The second episode, “You Be The Newsman, I’ll Be Liz Taylor,” features George Clooney who speaks of his Catholic upbringing, activism, personal life, and relationship with his family.

In the late 1960’s-70’s, Clooney’s father, hosted a local talk show in Ohio called “The Nick Clooney Show.” The local morning talk show gave rise to George’s love of show business, as his father would have him dress up as characters and mock interview him.

Clooney’s wife, Amal, is a human rights lawyer sharing Clooney’s interest in activism. He became very involved with the genocide in Darfur and began the Not On Our Watch Foundation in 2008. Clooney visited the decimated Darfur region of Sudan in order to investigate the corruption. He found that the banks were aiding the Sudanese government’s massacre of Darfur and used this information to spread awareness in the U.S. through the media.

We learn that Clooney is not just the former “sexiest man alive,” but a passionate, intelligent man driven by his Catholic virtues. When Clooney goes into detail about his wife, I was in awe of the degree of his sincerity. “Before I had the twins,” Clooney says, “I felt that way about her. I felt that I’d met someone who I would absolutely trade my life for…her life meant more to me than my life.”

After the first two episodes, I feel like I’ve earned friendships in Obama and Clooney. This show revolutionizes television’s 15-minute interview into an extensive, in-depth conversation with the iconic. Unfortunately, I’m unable to reminisce with George Clooney over a glass of his Casamigos Tequila, or visit the Edmund Pettus bridge with one of the founders of the Civil Rights movement, but Letterman’s show serves as a perfect substitute.

“My Next Guest” will continue with a new episode every month. The March episode will feature Nobel Prize winner Malala Yousafzai, who survived a shot in the head from the Taliban. As the title hints, surely her bravery “needs no introduction.”

The post Netflix and Trill: Letterman Revolutionizes the Talk Show appeared first on KRUI Radio.

As I was scrolling through Netflix, I spotted a new original called “Dirty Money.” Instantly intrigued, I pressed play. No, I didn’t read the description-I’m too impulsive for that, but I don’t regret it. Netflix originals can be a hit or a miss, and this was definitely a hard hit.

The show covers infamous economic scandals ranging from the cartel to Big Pharma. The first episode had a ton of impact and shed a lot of light on how corrupt large companies can be. In an initiative to compete with American companies, Volkswagen created its own “clean diesel” vehicle.

The German company advertised the car to have lower carbon emissions than previous models. It turned out that Volkswagen was just engineering the car to circumvent American carbon emission tests-it wasn’t environmentally friendly at all. And worse? When caught, they recalled the model, redesigned it to go around the test again, and continued selling the car. Those sly Germans.

I might be out of the loop here, but I had never heard of this scandal and I will never buy a Volkswagen (I probably wouldn’t have to begin with.) It’s incredible how such a large company can get away with being so deceitful, especially to an entire country.

The last episode of the series about Trump University reminds us of President Trump’s ability to create his image in the media, going so far as to call a magazine pretending to be his own PR man to spread stories about himself. “Trump has this reptilian, knowing, street-smart awareness of the powers of media,” says journalist Tim O’Brien in the show. As he tweets from the Oval Office, we are reminded every day of Trump’s ability to steal headlines simply through his rhetoric.

It is revealed that Trump’s show “The Apprentice” created an image of him that was misleading.  The famous boardroom where Trump interrogated the contestants was constructed solely for the show, along with the ornate nature of the reception area. In reality, his office and building were cluttered and outdated.

In an interview with Walter Shaub, former Director of U.S. Department of Ethics, he explains that the Trump Administration wanted nothing to do with working with the Department, unlike the past two administrations. Shaub resigned due to the lack of communication he had with the President. The decision to include this segment in the episode only added a political undertone that elicited anxiety and frustration.

Although this series is impressive, I am disappointed that the Trump episode is so obviously biased. The second episode deals with Scott Tucker, a former race car driver who created payday loans and is serving a 16-year prison sentence for racketeering. This is the only other episode that deals with an individual instead of a company and it includes testimonies from people who admire Tucker’s business skills in addition to those who believe he is a criminal with wicked intentions.

In “Confidence Man,” I came across no interviews that praised Trump for anything except for his ability to manipulate and con innocent people. As difficult as it is, it would have been nice for this series to stay out of the political arena and stick to the money.  Maybe next season?

All in all, “Dirty Money” is seriously enlightening. The show successfully breaks down the stock market, real-estate developing, monopolies, and banking for those of us who didn’t get our MBA’s. I never felt like I was in over my head, and I actually learned a ton of new things. I’d love to see this series continue, and who knows, maybe I’ll land a side job on Wall Street.

The post Netflix and Trill: “Dirty Money” Will Hook You appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Created by brothers, Matt and Ross Duffer, this Netflix original series first captivated fans of horror and science fiction with its summer 2016 release.  As summer began to fade, Stranger Things’ audience kept growing.  Typically, audiences of horror and science fiction possess niche audiences.  Though, this is not the case with Stranger Things.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWxyRG_tckY

I first heard of Stranger Things in 2016.  It was a typical August weekday, as I impatiently waited to venture back to Iowa City for my sophomore year of college.  At the time, I recently finished my youth umpiring stint.  So, my days for the most part consisted of my ass stapled to the sweat-imprinted basement couch aimlessly browsing Netflix.

One morning, my friend, Logan Shelton, sent an emphatic text in which he declared me to stop what I was doing and watch a new Netflix original series titled Stranger Things.  Lucky for me, part one of that process was already complete. Now, all I needed was a case of diet coke and a frozen pizza to complete the tv watching experience.  

Before the show’s titles, the first scene of the movie already caught my attention.  A group of middle school outcasts were piled in protagonist Mike Wheeler’s (Finn Wolfhand) basement.  Closed off from the outside world, these four friends gave it their all in a game of Dunces and Dragons; as I’m reminded with a gush of nostalgia of my 5th grade self glued to the computer chair playing RuneScape.

Speaking of nostalgia, this affection for the past is a tool the Duffer brothers establish throughout Stranger Things in an attempt to connect with a wide array of audiences.  Because of growing up in the 1980’s, the Duffer brothers allude to many of its science fiction and horror classics.  Even before watching any of the show’s content, one can easily see the similarities between the Stranger Things’ season 1 poster and the poster of a timeless series trying to find its place in the 21st century, Star Wars.

Throughout the first season, I sat back constantly in deja-vu as I was forced to recall previous moments I’d already witnessed in television.  From the adventurous, alienated quest of four ragtag boys in Stephen King and Rob Reiner’s, Stand By Me, to the uncharted territory Sigourney Weaver ventured through in Ridley Scott’s, Alien, and the naive, yet thought provoking first encounter in Steven Spielberg’s, E.T.  

By referencing this canon of movies, the Duffer brothers were able to draw in a large audience who grew up with the likes of Spielberg and King.  

Nostalgia not only played a role in reminiscing on past cinematic classics from the 70’s and 80’s, but also the decades’ music.  In the show, the audience is introduced to brothers, Will and Jonathan Byers, who share a connection through music.

Jonathan, being the older of the two and the father of the house, lectures Will through music.  All the questions that still loom over teenagers today: How do I know what I want to do with my life?  What will it take to become cool?  Why don’t I fit in with everyone?

To pass his messages down to Will, Jonathan used music for translation.  He made Will a mixtape of songs that strayed away from the popular sound at the time.  As a result those bands, like Joy Division, the Smiths, and the Clash, relayed the messages Jonathan was unable to say.

All I could think about when watching those sentimental scenes between Will and Jonathan was the relationship I have with my brother, Andrew.  We both constantly talk music, whether it’s on the phone, sharing a song through Spotify, or buying each other records to spin.  In this case, not only was arguably my favorite genre of music, 80’s alternative, a nostalgic moment for me, but also the dynamics of Will and Jonathan’s relationship.

Although the shows glorification of 80’s alternative rock played a major role in connecting people of similar taste, the show’s original score paved the way for the 80’s nostalgia category.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLFx30Ijiq0

Arguably the most well known horror score in cinematic history was John Carpenter’s eerie, daunting loop of synthesizers in his 1978 flick, Halloween.  In order to continue this theme of nostalgia, the Duffer brothers hired Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein to score the show, with a focus on modeling Carpenter’s synth sound.  

What came out of the deal was better than the Duffer brother’s initial expectations, since Dixon and Stein were completely able to reinvent Carpenter’s sound.  The show’s opening title sequences best establish the show’s ability to represent the trend’s creative peak.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfyt1xdpaaM

To be considered timeless, one can either be completely original or build off previous styles and themes in order to take it in a different, more authentic direction.  Season 1 was able to remain atop the game primarily from nostalgia.  But in season 2, let’s see what new path the Duffer brothers take in their quest to stand the test of time like their childhood idols.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgS2L7WPIO4

The post Breaking the Fourth Wall: Stranger Things Looks to Build off Nostalgia in Second Season appeared first on KRUI Radio.

The Wailing, a Korean film clocking in at over two and a half hours is not homework. I have been meaning to watch this film since its release last year and brief run at Film Scene downtown. Now that it has been staring me in the face on my Netflix que for a week, I knew the time had come.

I watched it twice in a row, back to back. Not because I wanted to write about it. It is just that engrossing. The Wailing, directed by Na Hong-jin, is most easily defined as a horror film. But like many successful films in the genre, it is great at bending and twisting itself to fit many different labels.

At its heart, The Wailing is a terrifying thriller following a small town policeman, Jong-goo. He investigates a series of mysterious crimes that all seem connected in the form of a strange illness that all of the perpetrators share. All of these incidents begin happening after an enigmatic Japanese man moves into the village, and become more personal once Jong-goo’s daughter appears to become infected with this dark malady.

Horror is hard to sustain for a long period of time however, and the movie is well served by an injection of other genre influences. The first forty-five minutes take on a very comedic tone, bolstered by Do-wan Kwak‘s performance as Jong-goo.

Jong-goo may be a policeman, but he is an everyman in the mold of Homer Simpson more than John McClane. He is constantly late to work, gets berated by his boss, and seems to be quite bad at his job. This performance serves to endear the audience to the character and makes the latter part of the film where his daughter is in danger all the more affecting.

As far as horror goes, The Wailing runs the gamut from body horror to zombie movie to demonic possession. It is amazing that with all of these aspects the film at no point seems overstuffed or jumpy. Many movies try to cross genres but with varying levels of success.

Where the film makes serious gains though, is in the second half revolving around the mysterious Japanese man in the village and a shaman that Jong-goo eventually hires to help cure his daughter. This large portion of the film appropriately dumps most comedic undertones and cuts viewers straight to the bone, in more ways than one.

There are gory scenes that wil strike more sensitive movie goers, while appeasing genre buffs. A constant conversation involving ghosts and whether or not certain characters are actually real also serves to keep the audience on their toes and guessing until, and past the end of the movie. After two viewings, I am still not 100% certain as to the exact sequence of events in the film.

Director Na Hong-jin did purposefully end the film with an air of ambiguity. While I do have a fairly definite structure in my head on what was happening, other viewers will have wildly different interpretations of what was actually going on from the middle of the film to the conclusion.

This uncertainty that the film is willing to plant in the viewer’s mind does not undercut the primary message or theme of the film. Indeed, the film is most powerful when viewed as a parable of faith. There are numerous religious overtones and references in the film, some more obvious than others. The conclusion, while somewhat logically perplexing, takes viewers to the edge of an emotional cliff and dangles them over the abyss.

This question of faith is incredibly powerful, and I am not a religious person in the least. The Wailing is an undeniable triumph of horror, tone, and theme. And now that I think about it, I may need to go watch it again.

The Movie Dude reviews limited release films, smaller movies, and independent releases.

The post The Movie Dude: The Wailing appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Archer: Vice may be the weirdest creation since the aardvark. Season five of Adam Reed’s farcical spy series starts off with the bombing of ISIS headquarters and immediately jumps into the business of international cocaine dealing. Addiction, mysterious pregnancy, and country music collide in a truly horrifying way as the gang faces a brand new set of challenges.

Archer constantly tackles multiple plot lines in one season, a tactic that keeps the viewer engaged and entertained. The fifth season takes the idea of multiple plot lines to steroidal levels. Throughout the season the gang must focus on selling all of their cocaine, staying out of the eye of the FBI, furthering Carol/Cheryl/Cherlene’s country music career, managing Pam’s cocaine addiction, and wondering about Lana’s mysterious pregnancy. While it’s definitely a ballsy move to maintain so many plots at once, it creates a very busy season that isn’t always enjoyable.

The two plots I did enjoy were Pam’s cocaine addiction and Lana’s pregnancy. In reality, it highlights the importance of going to a drug detox and getting their help to get rid of addiction.

Let’s talk about Pam. For four seasons, Pam has been the show’s Ugly Betty. She’s constantly put down by her peers because of her weight and less-than-gorgeous appearance, as well as some personal flaws. No matter what, Pam had always found a way to muscle through the hate and prove herself to be a strong character. In season five Pam does a complete 180, becoming bodacious and dangerous because of cocaine. Instead of comical, her faults have become problematic for the group. A good chunk of the season is dedicated to putting a stop to Pam’s addiction, an interesting goal in a show rank with high-functioning alcoholism and sex addiction.

While Pam’s plot line is pretty unique in terms of season-arcs, it doesn’t hold a candle to Lana’s. In the fourth season finale, Lana revealed to the gang that she was pregnant and that the baby wasn’t Cyril’s, despite the fact the two were dating. She’s pregnant throughout the entire fifth season, and it provides many interesting moments of introspection for the kick-ass spy. While it hardly slows her down, the pregnancy causes Lana to confront and explore the dangers of her job, both immediate and potential. Her entire sense of identity has come into question, as she is no longer a spy, but an expecting mother. Even though the pregnancy was completely her choice, it has unforeseen consequences for Lana.

I really don’t like season five (lookin’ at you, Cherlene), so I won’t waste more words than needed on the subject. Archer is available on Netflix and DVD.

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